Suzie Elie, 24, blames her child rearing skills on her Haitian upbringing to defend her actions while disciplining her son. In a Douglas County GA courthouse, she received a 30 year prison sentence for child abuse.

It seems Elie’s toddler son woke up crying in the middle of the night. She saw fit to take him to the woods and beat him with a tree limb. A jogger passing by saw the action and reported it to the authorities. Elie and her boyfriend, whose trial is underway now, were both arrested.

The 24-year-old Elie pleaded with the court for leniency, saying she did not mean to hurt her child: “Please, your honor, don’t put me away for a long time because this was not my intentions. Please, I’m begging you!”